[Summary: Nanako candidly discusses the murder case while probing Naoto's knowledge. Despite her warnings, the Midnight Channel airs again.]
[5/17: Tuesday]
Yosuke thanked Nanako in the classroom the next morning before school. "I thought that guy was going to kill me."
"Kill you?" Chie asked, overhearing. "Who what now?"
"Kanji Tatsumi," Yosuke explained. "He's the guy on the Midnight Channel. I tried to warn him, but he took it the wrong way. I barely got out of there with my bike. Nanako-san is my savior." He laughed a little awkwardly at the admission.
"Buy me a drink and we're even," Nanako told him, and he readily agreed.
"Kanji Tatsumi," Yukiko repeated, also joining in the conversation. "We—that is, my family—often order from his family's shop. Do you think we should visit?"
"Sure," said Nanako. "You three can go after school today. I can't, though—I have a date!"
"A date!?" Both Yosuke and Chie looked taken aback.
"Will you make him call you 'Boss'?" Yosuke asked, his expression dark.
"I'm kidding," she admitted. "But I do have plans." She considered inviting them to join her, but only for a very brief moment. She wanted the Detective Prince all to herself. "I'll tell you about it later, I promise."
"It's the piano, isn't it?" Yosuke guessed. "You're going to work on it today, huh?"
"What piano?" Chie asked.
"The piano in the music room," Yosuke explained helpfully. "Nanako-san can play the piano. She's pretty good at it, too!"
Nanako shrugged off the compliment. "I'm nowhere near as good as my mom."
"Oh!" said Chie. "You did say she plays professionally. That's really neat. You should play something for us sometime!"
"Make a theme song for the DEATH Squad." Yosuke chuckled. "I'll make it my new ringtone for you."
"Can you play Moonlight Sonata?" Yukiko asked. "I've always thought that was very pretty."
With reluctance that faded once she warmed up to the subject, Nanako spoke of her skill level and what songs she knew until class started.
After school, Nanako stood next to Kanji Tatsumi as they both waited for Naoto Shirogane to show up.
Kanji was rather quiet, but his posture betrayed his nervousness. He kept shifting restlessly and combing his fingers over his carefully styled hair.
"So, uh, did he say what he wanted to talk to you about?" Nanako asked.
"Dunno," Kanji admitted. "When he invited you along, it sure as hell threw me for a loop." He sounded sullen. Nanako shot him a questioning look, and he avoided her eyes. "I dunno... It's nothing."
Nanako opened her mouth to inquire further when she noticed Kanji's posture stiffen. She turned see Naoto bearing down on them. He was easily spotted because he stood out like a sore thumb. He was wearing the same strangely-fashionable coat and adorable cap as yesterday.
"Tatsumi-san, Dojima-san." Naoto nodded to each of them in turn upon approaching.
"Shirogane-san, please call me Nanako. 'Dojima-san' is my father." Nanako giggled. Oh god, I just giggled...
"Very well," said Naoto. "Nanako-san."
"And jus' call me Kanji," the tall boy said. "No need to be formal..."
"Kanji-san," Naoto murmured. "Let us be off. We seem to be attracting attention."
Nanako glanced towards the gate and saw a pair of heads, two different hues of light brown, quickly hide behind it. Chie and Yosuke? Dammit, they were supposed to be visiting the textiles shop. Nanako thought of shouting at them but decided that would probably give a poor, if accurate, impression.
Naoto began to walk leisurely down the road that led away from the school. "Kanji-san, I would like to direct my first questions at you. Please bear the inquiry without insult—they are simply standard procedure. I understand that at times, you are active during the late hours of the night. Were the nights of April 11th and April 14th such nights?"
"Err, ahh," Kanji mumbled. "Was a month ago, man. I don't really remember that far back..."
"It was, as they say, a long shot." The detective seemed unconcerned that Kanji couldn't remember, though he did scribble something down on a notepad.
"Those were the nights before the bodies were discovered," Nanako added helpfully. "Maybe you saw or heard something?"
"Notta thing," Kanji said. "I mean, s'just the truth. Not tryin' to hide anything." He looked at Nanako. "I'll tell you this. Naoki Konishi was my friend. If I knew anything that could help, I would've said already."
"Are you aware that you were on television last Friday?" Naoto asked next. Nanako now watched the detective closely. What did he know of television's role in all of this?
"I was?" Kanji's brow knit together. "I don't—oh, you mean that damned film crew? You gotta be a special brand of dumb to want to get up in those bikers' business. I saved their asses and they never bothered to thank me."
"Oh, so you're not part of the biker gang," Nanako noted.
"'Course not. I ain't got a motorcycle. Just a bike. I ain't even got a license for it."
Don't worry, you'll be part of my gang, soon enough, Nanako thought.
"Those dicks always make such a ruckus, drives me up a wall, so I show them the light, as it were... Made 'em move their shit to the flood plain instead of the shopping district so my ma could get some sleep at night."
"Huh..." Nanako mused.
Naoto addressed her suddenly. "Nanako-san. You implied previously that you had knowledge on this case to impart."
"Oh, umm. Why don't we sit down somewhere? It could take a while."
Conveniently, they weren't far from the picnic table on the flood plain. Naoto sat on one side with his notepad before him, and Nanako and Kanji made a rather incongruous pair on the other side.
Naoto told Kanji that he did not need to stay, and Kanji looked dejected. "Shoulda known you weren't really interested in me," he muttered loud enough that Nanako heard. She looked at Kanji, and then at Naoto. The way he'd said 'interested' sounded like he'd meant... Well, Kanji, you have good taste, because I totally have a crush on him, too. She'd spent a lot of her time taking in the Detective Prince's appearance. She'd noted the stilted way he walked, probably partially caused by those thick-soled boots. She'd looked it up online and he was actually 16, the same age as she was! Though he looked younger, and his voice seemed soft, like he was a late bloomer.
The only problem was his hair. It was so messy! For all his supposed smarts, it's like he didn't know what a comb was. Despite that, it looked soft and Nanako wanted to tug off that cap and touch it.
And that overcoat... Sure, it was a nice coat, probably kept out the cold real well, but it also hid the shape of his body and wow Nanako realized she was getting creepy.
"Kanji-kun, you can stay," Nanako said, "but pay attention, okay? Umm, well..." She couldn't very well tell them about the TV World—that would violate Rule #1—but she could talk about the fog and Yukiko's kidnapping. "I don't know how long you've been in Inaba, Shirogane-san, but I'm sure you're aware of the extreme fog that sometimes sets in. It has been on the news because it's so unusual. In fact, the nights before Ms. Yamano and Naoki-kun's bodies were discovered were filled with this fog—it seems the killer used the fog to cover his actions when he put the bodies on display. The last time we had a fog like that was April 29th, and as you are aware, that night was uneventful. No one was found dead. The average person might be tempted to think that might mean the killer is out of action or else quit, but that would be a mistake. Because I'm certain that he tried."
Naoto stopped writing on his notepad to eye her, and after a moment she continued.
"My friend at school, Yukiko Amagi, was an intended victim. She was kidnapped Saturday evening—April 16th." Nanako explained how the inn was busy, how no one saw it happen, how the person had used a flashlight to blind the girl and then sedated her with something that smelled sweet—possibly chloroform. "We—that is, our fellow classmate Chie Satonaka and I—found her Sunday evening, not far from the inn, but she doesn't remember what happened and could not identify her captor. She doesn't know how she escaped, either. It's possible her captor had mercy, but I doubt it. At the same time, I doubt he'd be careless enough to let her wander around."
"Is she certain her kidnapper was male?" Naoto asked.
"Ah, no," Nanako admitted. "You're right, that's unknown. Yukiko wasn't abused, by the way."
Kanji let out his breath in a relief. "We used to know each other in middle school. If anything happened to her, I'd wanna..."
"Y-yeah," said Nanako. "Me too."
"Until that has been established," Naoto said, "I would prefer to refer to the culprit as 'they' for now." He tilted his head to consider Nanako. "However, it seems to me that the culprit acted too soon in regards to Amagi. If they intended to kill her and then set up the body in the murky fog... Her body would have decayed long before the 29th."
"They could have stored the body in a cold place to preserve it," Nanako suggested. "Or they could have intended to keep her alive until closer to the foggy night through repeated sedation."
The three of them shuddered at the thought of being kept alive just to be killed later.
"Repeated use of chloroform would cause memory loss," Naoto mused. "Neither autopsy reported the detection of chloroform, but it's possible the lab did not test for it. And it is too late now as the bodies are more than likely cremated." Naoto put the end of his pen to his mouth and looked at Nanako. "Amagi's escape concerns me. You found her near her home?"
Ah... Nanako thought. This was the weak point in her story. Of course the detective would spot it. "It's possible the kidnapper put her in the truck and she recovered consciousness in transit enough to fall out and the kidnapper didn't realize it until she was already lost."
Naoto nodded. "That would explain why she was found close to her home. A truck... She doesn't know the make or the style?"
"Yeah, believe me," Nanako said. "I've tried to jog her memory in several different ways, but the information simply isn't there. After the flashlight in her eyes up to us finding her in the woods is all missing."
"May I ask why she did not report to the police of her experience?"
"Her family worried it would affect their reputation, which is already under strain from the fact that Mayumi Yamano had been staying at their inn. It would also affect Yukiko's image at school. It really wouldn't be good for her if the story got around."
"The police can be trusted to be discreet," Naoto commented, "but I do respect that decision. If, indeed, Amagi's kidnapper was the murderer, without that knowledge, the police are not pursuing that avenue."
"W-well, now you know," Nanako pointed out. "So, umm... yeah."
"I do, and I intend to put my full attention to this case." Naoto's smile was small and grim. "That is, in fact, the reason I've come to Inaba. Thank you for your assistance. I was quite surprised to find a high schooler so cooperative."
"You're the Detective Prince!" Nanako said excitedly. "Of course I'd—umm..."
She cut herself off because Naoto had cringed at her words. "Please do not use that ridiculous moniker."
"But you've earned it!" she cried, and she proceeded to rattle off the details of every case that the young detective had solved. "And then my dad's jerk of a coworker came over to the house once and called you 'Defective Ponce' for refusing to take on the stolen diamond case, and I kicked him in the tushie!"
By the end of her rant, Naoto's eyes were wide and his mouth parted—horrified and fascinated all at once.
"Good on you," said Kanji. "Don't take crap from anyone, Senpai."
Then Naoto shook his head and chuckled. It was a soft sound. "If it means that much to you... Very well, I shall not be bothered if you continue to use it."
Victory! Nanako was sure her grin was so wide it was off her face. "Detective Prince! If you're new to town, then... you could use someone to show you around, right?" Sure, Nanako didn't know the town that well herself, but the boy didn't know that.
"I have already familiarized myself with the town's layout," Naoto claimed.
"Yeah, but you don't know the best places to eat! I could go for some ramen right now. How about you? And Kanji-kun, too! Aiya is the best and it's near the textiles shop anyway."
"I'm game," Kanji said. "I'd better let Ma know so she won't cook so much for dinner."
"You're such a good boy, Kanji-kun," Nanako said. His face turned pink and he denied it. She recalled how he'd greeted Saki so respectfully yesterday even in the middle of chasing Yosuke. Appearances could be quite deceiving. He looked like a punk—she'd noticed the piercings and the scar over his eyebrow—but he probably had a big heart inside.
In all honesty, Nanako kind of didn't want Kanji along so that she could pretend it was a date with Naoto, but at the same time, she didn't mind including him on said date. She was all-inclusive like that, after all...
Naoto seemed about to refuse, but then nodded and said, "I suppose I could do with a meal."
They headed down the flood plain, chatting inconsequentially about the town. When they reached the shopping district, Kanji had more to say since he knew all of the stores and their proprietors. "Ieyasu-san closed up shop, and so did Yamura-san, and Ishida-san..."
"Business seems to be drying up," Naoto observed. "It couldn't have happened in only a month." He was implying that they had closed because of the murders.
Kanji scratched his head. "Well, a lotta people blame the Junes on the other side of the river, and that's part of it, but... times are changing. Take clothing, for instance. People are more willing to buy two cheap-ass shirts that'll tear within a month than one well-made one that'd last a year."
"It is a tragedy that logic seems to evade the common man." Naoto sighed. "I prefer quality products myself."
"I know, right?" said Nanako. "I bought something cheap from Daidara's and then it broke and I was pretty mad about it! I could've die—er, it really inconvenienced me. And he told me it was because I bought the cheap one. Well, I know better now. But I just didn't have the money at the time."
"What'd you buy from Daidara's?" Kanji was frowning in thought. "Dude only sells antiques."
"Oh, uh, a cooking pot. A cheap iron one, but the handles fell off," Nanako smoothly lied. "Now I got a nice copper one and it's pretty good so far."
They passed the textiles shop, and Kanji excused himself to check in with his mother. It turned out that 'check in' meant simply opening the sliding front door and shouting, "Hey Ma, I'm going to Aiya with some friends!" at the gray-haired lady sitting on a cushion inside.
The lady said something back, and then Kanji further shouted in a slightly quieter voice, "No, don't get up! You can't meet them!" He then closed the door quickly and turned to the two of them. "Uh, well, let's go." His hands twitched, like he dared them to comment, and Nanako practiced self-control by not laughing at the pinkness of his face.
"Aiya!" Nanako led the way, because she knew where that store was, at least.
"Aiya is great," Kanji agreed. "You know, they deliver anywhere."
"Anywhere?" Naoto repeated. "I have my doubts."
"What, are you going to test it, Detective Prince?" Nanako asked with a teasing lilt.
"Unfortunately, that's beyond the scope of my purpose here." Naoto was smiling playfully. Ah, good! Nanako thought. He has a sense of humor!
They entered Aiya and took seats at the counter. Naoto ordered a small beef bowl with extra garlic and no egg. Nanako went with shrimp ramen, and Kanji went with a mega beef bowl, whatever that was. It was probably what Chie had ordered when Nanako last ate here since it came with extra beef.
"How do you like Inaba so far, Shirogane-san?" Nanako asked when they were nearly done. Naoto had finished first. Apparently he had been hungry. "I've barely been here a month. I started living here right at the start of the school term."
"Well, the town is... quaint, I suppose," the detective replied. He scanned the room almost imperceptibly, but Nanako noticed because she was watching him far too closely. It seemed like he was wondering if he'd be overheard the other customers, but there weren't many anyway, just a couple of fellow teenagers behind them.
"That's just a nice way of saying it's a big bunch of nothing." Despite his words, Kanji's tone was light. "Don't have to be nice about it. But it's home to me."
"I'm here for the school year and then I'm out like a rocket," Nanako said. "Shirogane-san, you're here only for the case, right?"
Naoto nodded and said, "Indeed."
"Do you like traveling?" Nanako asked. "I haven't traveled much, actually. This is the farthest I've ever been away from home."
"Hope people're making you feel welcome," Kanji said. "Sometimes people don't take kindly to outsiders."
Nanako's friendly interrogation was cut short by the bill, which Naoto took care of. When Nanako protested, he said it was part of his expenses. "The information you provided is quite valuable to me."
He just admitted he's using us, a part of Nanako's brain protested. Shut up, she told it. "If there's anything else we can help with, let us know!" she said. "Umm, my dad is a detective, so..."
"So I've heard," Naoto replied politely. He stood up, adjusted his cap, and headed out of the restaurant.
Nanako cursed herself for repeating that, then followed him out, Kanji shortly behind. She didn't want them to go their separate ways already, but...
Naoto thanked them for their assistance, and Nanako forced him to shake her hand. Then, realizing she was just as bad as the gas station attendant, she asked for a business card. The detective provided one from a case that was stored inside his coat. He waited while she read it, and then tipped his cap when she thanked him with a bow, completing the business card ritual. Then he turned and walked away.
On the downside, Naoto was gone. On the upside, Nanako now had his business phone number and address.
Before heading off herself, Nanako looked at Kanji and reminded him to be careful of strangers calling at home.
"I dunno why you think they'd wanna mess with me," he said, "but I hear you, Senpai. I'll be careful. I won't end up like Naoki... Well, see you 'round." He entered the textiles shop and was gone.
On the way home, Nanako stopped by the part-time job board again. There were a few jobs she hadn't bothered looking at because she'd taken the daycare assistant job. And her eyes roved over to the open gas station attendant job...
After how she'd forced herself on Naoto without any bad intentions (well, admittedly her intentions were rather questionable), she could probably forgive that creepy gas station guy for trying to shake her hand. Maybe... maybe she'd take that job, if she needed money. She jotted down the details in her phone's address book.
The other jobs included a tutoring gig—psh, like she remembered what she'd learned in middle school. She didn't even remember the school principal's name—and folding origami cranes. The latter was for charity, so it was a volunteer job without pay. If she was a better person, maybe, but her time was just too valuable to work without pay, so she didn't take it.
That night, Nanako sat on her couch in her room and typed with a speed that only a teenager could manage.
Daaad!
Guess who I met! Oh, you'll never guess.
It's a boy. (Don't freak out!)
He wears blue.
He has a cap.
He's hella smart.
His name is Naoto Shirogane!
Yes, THAT Naoto Shirogane! He's in Inaba working on the murder case. I've already offered my services to help him solve it!
He has such piercing silver eyes, like clouds, but I think his vision is clear...
If anyone can solve the case, it'll be him, don't you think?
Her father's reply came only a few minutes later.
Stay out of his way.
Nanako scowled at her phone. Her dad really was an old stick in the mud sometimes.
She replied: Too late, Dad, I've already got my hooks into him! He's totes going to be your son-in-law. Even if we have to elope!
PS 'totes' means totally.
She expected him either not to reply, or to reply with a humorous demand like, "Where does he live?" but around ten minutes later, a piano concerto signified that a certain someone was calling.
"M-mom...?" Nanako asked tentatively upon picking up.
"Honey," her mother said in a stern yet playful voice, "please don't try to give your dad apoplexy."
"Mom! It was a joke! But the Detective Prince is pretty cute... and we did go to lunch together."
"I know you're excited, honey, but I don't want to hear that the doctors have increased your father's blood pressure medication because of you. He's worried enough about you being out there and so far away from him. I am, too, honey..."
Nanako, thoroughly chastised, couldn't find words.
"And you might think you're in love—I did, too, at your age, and I almost married him, but then I met your dad, and—well, don't rush into things, okay?"
"But rushing is what I do," she muttered, somewhat disheartened.
"I know, and I know you're very smart, so I don't have to worry too much about things many other mothers have to worry about, but please be careful out there."
Nanako promised she'd be a good girl.
"And are you getting along with Aunt Seta and little Souji-kun? You haven't mentioned them lately in any of your emails."
"Sort of to the first, definitely to the second," Nanako answered. "Mom, Souji-kun... he's adorable but he's so hurt. His mother loves him, but in such a harsh way... Mom. Please don't tell Dad but it's breaking my heart to see Souji-kun so alone all day. His mom doesn't hug him or anything and, and..." Nanako began to sniffle.
"Let it all out, honey. I can't be there to help, but..."
Nanako told her that the rather sappy Mother's Day email she'd sent had been inspired by Souji. "His mom took down the Mother's Day card he'd made for her that we hung on the fridge... I guess she threw it away, it's just awful to think about...!"
"Then you'll have to love him twice as much," her mother said crisply. "Is this a problem?"
"No, Mom! I'll do it!"
They talked about different things she could do with Souji-kun and ways she could try to involve Aunt Seta before her mother brought up an entirely new subject. "So, you said you found a poor old piano...?"
"Yeah!" Nanako talked about it and explained her problems with it, and her mother gave her some advice.
Before the conversation ended, broken glass sounded out, and a card depicting the sun appeared in Nanako's mind. She put the phone down slowly. Her mother was a social link? What next, her dad through email?
But her mother was her sunshine—or was she her mother's sunshine?—so it was appropriate.
Nanako was about to retire for the evening when Yukiko called and informed her that Kanji was missing. Although it wasn't unusual for him to be out late, after the warnings Nanako had given him, she figured it probably meant their worst fears were founded and Kanji had been kidnapped. Damn, the kidnapper must be both strong and ballsy to go after that boy. Nanako wasn't sure she'd seen a taller guy in her life. Even her dad wasn't that tall.
Regardless, she'd missed the lacy underwear last time, and it was already kind of late after her talk with her mom, so she decided to bear it and stay up to watch the Midnight Channel. While she waited for midnight to strike, she thought of making popcorn and wondered what would happen if the TV was already on when the show was supposed to start. Would it just keep playing whatever she was watching, or suddenly tune into the Midnight Channel? Maybe it would bleed between them both.
To stave off the boredom from waiting, she began to play a cell phone game. It was an MMORPG that she hadn't logged into in a while. Her virtual mailbox was maxed out in friend messages and 'please come back' items from the company that owned the game. She was still sorting through it all and chatting idly with her in-game guild when a voice rang out.
"Hel-LO, dear viewers... It's time for 'Bad, Bad, Bathhouse'!"
She frowned because that definitely hadn't come from her game—oh crap, it was the Midnight Channel. She typed 'brb' into the chat window and looked at the TV.
It was, uh, Kanji wearing nothing but a fundoshi. His body seemed oily, and he quivered and rubbed himself while speaking of 'sublime love that surpasses the separation of the sexes.' He growled playfully like a pussycat.
He's pretty hot! she thought, noting his muscularity. But, uh, he was lisping, which meant...
He turned around and entered the building behind him, apparently a bathhouse. Then the TV turned off.
Well, he had seemed interested in Naoto, so... this wasn't as surprising as it could be.
She said goodbye to her friends in the online game and then watched her phone for over a minute, expecting someone to call—Yosuke in particular—but her phone remained silent.
Screw it. She called him. Let him suffer for calling her the other day.
"Hey Yosuke, did you see that?" she asked when he picked up.
"..."
"So you did. Did you record it?"
"Y-yeah," Yosuke said after a long moment. "Well, maybe. My hand might have, uh, slipped. Because, uh... You saw that, right? I mean, you called me, so..."
"Yeah. What did you think?"
"It's probably pretty clear what I think!" Yosuke's laugh was high in pitch. "I mean, dude, what the hell was that?"
"Kanji-kun is my sort of guy," Nanako declared. "We gotta save him."
"W-well, yeah, but..."
She told him they'd figure it out tomorrow, and then crawled into bed and giggled herself to sleep. Bad, Bad, Bathhouse, indeed...
[AN: Chisato Dojima is the Sun link. Sorry, Ayane Matsunaga!
Next Chapter: Bad, Bad, Bathhouse
The DEATH Squad strip to their skivvies because it's really hot in there.]